Knicks’ William Wesley takes shot at Danny Ainge over Donovan Mitchell saga

It’s been over a week since the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell. After two months of trade rumors, New York Knicks fans have now had the time to come to terms with the fact that the three-time All-Star won’t be returning home in time for the 2022-23 season. Because the Knicks were dealing with Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz, it was a messy situation from the start, and William Wesley echoed that sentiment.

Wesley, otherwise known as ‘World Wide Wes,’ was hired by New York in June of 2020 as an executive vice president and senior advisor to Leon Rose. He’s been with the Knicks for a little over two years now, with this offseason being the most hectic one yet with the Jalen Brunson free agency signing and the pursuit of Donovan Mitchell.

The Mitchell saga didn’t fall in New York’s favor, but as everyone around the NBA knows, Ainge isn’t an easy person to do business with. He was seeking a total of three unprotected picks from the Knicks, regardless of how good the offer was with two.

New York’s front office hasn’t said anything publicly about the saga, but Wesley spoke with Charles Barkley, who did an interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio.

Knicks’ William Wesley says the Jazz were ‘just trying to rip somebody off’

Here’s Barkley’s full quote regarding his conversation with Wesley:

"“I said Wes, why didn’t y’all make the [Mitchell] trade? He said, ‘Oh man, don’t go by the media stuff,” Barkley, a Hall of Famer and TNT analyst, said in the interview. “They wanted my wife, my kids…. We wanted the deal, obviously. But he said they wanted my wife, they wanted my kids, they wanted my grandkids. They were just trying to rip somebody off. So he said… ‘Dude, we’re going to have to pass on it.’ And I give those guys credit because you can’t give away everything for a guy. I like Donovan, he’s a very good player. It was the first time in a long time the Knicks actually [showed restraint].”"

Per usual, the media took Cleveland trading for Mitchell and spun it into a way to make fun of New York. As Wesley mentioned to Barkley, though, the Knicks ultimately let the opportunity to trade for the guard pass solely because of what the Jazz were asking for in return. And as Barkley said, it wouldn’t have been worth it for New York to give up everything (or nearly everything) for Donovan Mitchell, but that isn’t a knock against Mitchell.

The Knicks’ future isn’t bleak, which is what many have made it out to be. New York didn’t have to part with RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, or Obi Toppin. Nor did the Knicks have to part with any of their first-round picks.

As Wesley noted, New York “wanted the deal.” In the end, though, the Knicks made the right decision.

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